HEIC2PNG

This is a tool for converting the format of HEIC images to PNG using Python. It now supports quality adjustment and has an option to overwrite existing files, enhancing the flexibility and usability of the tool.

Features

• HEIC to PNG conversion with high quality output
• Quality control (1-100) for file size optimization
• Pure Python implementation using PIL (Pillow) built-in optimization
• Cross-platform compatibility - works on all platforms

Installation

pip install heic2png

Visit HEIC2PNG on PyPI for more details.

Quick Start

Regular File Processing (with processing info)

# Convert with default settings
heic2png -i image.heic
# Output: Converting image...
#         Successfully saved converted image to: image.png

# Convert with quality optimization
heic2png -i image.heic --quality 50 -o optimized.png

Stream Processing (silent, for pipelines)

# Silent conversion for shell pipelines
cat image.heic | heic2png > output.png

# With quality optimization
cat image.heic | heic2png --quality 50 > optimized.png

Usage

As a Library

You can use HEIC2PNG in your Python code as shown below:

from heic2png import HEIC2PNG

if __name__ == '__main__':
    heic_img = HEIC2PNG('test.heic', quality=90)  # Specify the quality of the converted image
    heic_img.save()  # The converted image will be saved as `test.png`

Command Line Interface

HEIC2PNG also provides a CLI for easy conversion of HEIC images to PNG. Here are some examples:

Convert a HEIC image to PNG with a specified output path:

heic2png -i test.heic -o test.png -q 90  # -q is used to specify the quality

If you want to keep the original name, use the command below. It will generate test.png for you:

heic2png -i test.heic -q 90

To overwrite an existing PNG file, use the `-w`` flag:

heic2png -i test.heic -o test.png -q 90 -w

Usage Examples

Regular File Processing

Basic Conversion

# Convert with default settings (shows processing info)
heic2png -i image.heic
# Output: Converting image...
#         Successfully saved converted image to: image.png

# Convert with explicit output file
heic2png -i image.heic -o output.png

# Convert with quality optimization
heic2png -i image.heic --quality 50 -o optimized.png

Verbose Mode

# Show detailed conversion settings
heic2png -i image.heic --verbose
# Output:
# Converting image...
# Conversion settings:
# Input: image.heic
# Output: image.png
# Quality: 80
# Format: png
# Overwrite: False
# Successfully saved converted image to: image.png

Quality Control

# High quality (larger file)
heic2png -i image.heic --quality 95 -o high_quality.png

# Low quality (smaller file)
heic2png -i image.heic --quality 30 -o compressed.png

# Default quality (80)
heic2png -i image.heic -o default.png

Format Conversion

# Convert to JPEG
heic2png -i image.heic --format jpg -o output.jpg

# Convert to PNG (default)
heic2png -i image.heic -o output.png

Batch Processing

# Process multiple files
for file in *.heic; do
    heic2png -i "$file" --quality 60 --overwrite
done

# Process with different quality settings
heic2png -i photo1.heic --quality 90 -o photo1_hq.png
heic2png -i photo2.heic --quality 50 -o photo2_compressed.png

Stream Processing (stdin/stdout)

HEIC2PNG supports reading from stdin and writing to stdout, making it perfect for shell pipelines and automated processing:

Basic Stream Processing

# Read from stdin, write to stdout (no processing messages)
cat image.heic | heic2png > output.png

# Read from stdin, write to file (no processing messages)
cat image.heic | heic2png -o output.png

# Note: 'heic2png -i image.heic > output.png' now shows processing info
# Use 'cat image.heic | heic2png > output.png' for silent stream processing

Quality Optimization in Streams

# Low quality (smaller file size)
cat image.heic | heic2png --quality 30 > optimized.png

# High quality (larger file size)
cat image.heic | heic2png --quality 90 > high_quality.png

Format Conversion in Streams

# Convert to JPEG
cat image.heic | heic2png --format jpg > output.jpg

# Convert to PNG (default)
cat image.heic | heic2png > output.png

Advanced Pipeline Examples

# Batch processing with quality optimization
for file in *.heic; do
    cat "$file" | heic2png --quality 50 > "${file%.heic}_optimized.png"
done

# Process and compress in one pipeline
cat image.heic | heic2png --quality 40 | gzip > compressed.png.gz

# Convert and resize (requires additional tools)
cat image.heic | heic2png | convert - -resize 50% resized.png

Stream Processing Notes

• Input: If no -i parameter is specified, input is read from stdin
• Output: If no -o parameter is specified, output is written to stdout
• Messages: Stream mode (no -i parameter) produces no processing messages
• Quality: Works with all quality settings (1-100)
• Formats: Supports PNG, JPG, and JPEG output formats
• Transparency: Fully preserved in stream processing
• Behavior: heic2png -i file.heic > output.png shows processing info (regular mode)
• Behavior: cat file.heic | heic2png > output.png is silent (stream mode)

References

• Example PyPi Package
• Pillow HEIF
• PIL Image.quantize()